Such a remote control is known from EP 2148308 B1, wherein, in order to program a remote control for operating a particular remote-controlled device, the device to be operated is first selected on the remote control and the meta-data at least partially identifying this device are read out from the device or entered manually. This meta-data is transmitted to an external database, which uses this meta-data to select code sets in the database that match the selected device. These selected code sets are retransmitted to the remote control in an ordered sequence and checked by the user, until a code set matching the device to be controlled is found. When found, a confirmation signal is retransmitted to the database. The ordered sequence takes into account the user's geographic region, where the remote control is to be used. The possible code sets proposed to the user are selected such that the most likely code set according to the geographical region is displayed at the top of a selection list.
This is based on the realization that manufacturers of devices, such as TV sets, prefer to provide certain types with certain code sets in certain regions, such as North America, Europe, Asia, etc., as the code sets vary for each region.
Home electronic devices, e.g., as television sets, DVD players, sound systems, etc., are today usually operated by remote controls. Since it is highly inconvenient for a user to operate a separate remote control for each device to be controlled, a variety of programmable universal remote controls for controlling a variety of different devices is available on the market. Control is done wirelessly by transmitting commands from the remote control to the device to be controlled, and these commands are processed and coded according to a preset protocol. The whole set of instructions for controlling all the features of a particular device, i.e., a collection of codes, is referred to as a “code set”. These code sets may be freely defined by the device manufacturers, and several thousand different code sets are used globally.
If a user now wishes to program a remote control for controlling a particular device, the matching code set needs to be found. Accordingly, the device must be identified in order to provide the matching code set. In practice, the end user does not have this option, as the equipment manufacturers do not provide users with all the needed information.
However, in particular manufacturers offering a broad range of products often provide the user with a great number of optional code sets that need to be downloaded separately and tested until the proper code set is found.
How to download code sets for remote controls from external databases via telephone lines or Internet connections is furthermore disclosed in WO 92/0564 A1, WO 99/34564 A1, and WO 00/17738 A1.
Determining the relevant data for a device to be controlled is done according to U.S. Pat. No. 7,973,648 B2 with a DVD player via an HDMI cable, which is connected to a TV set. EDID data is retrieved via the HDMI cable and the manufacturer's name extracted therefrom. Matching code sets are searched via the manufacturer's name and transmitted to the remote control, tested and, if matching, stored in the remote control. However, the matching code sets are stored in the DVD player, and not in a database that is accessible via a remote connection.
In contrast, US 2012/0249890 A1 proposes that the EDID data be read out via an HDMI cable and used to identify a device, whereupon matching code sets are retrieved from an external database via an Internet connection.
A problem with the aforementioned prior art is that the relevant devices cannot always be clearly identified, and therefore the number of potentially matching code sets is rather large, so that the user will have to try a plurality of potentially matching code sets, which is time-consuming and cumbersome. Furthermore especially for manufacturers offering a large product range, the number of possible code sets proposed to the user is quite large.